特别广播英语第 185 课：Let's Stop Keeping Pets 让我们停止养宠物-1

Pets are lovable, frequently delightful. The dog and the cat, the most favored of pets, are beautiful, intelligent animals. 宠物是可爱的，又常讨人喜欢。狗和猫――人们最喜爱的宠物，是漂亮和聪明的动物。

To assume the care for them can help bring out the humanity in our children and even in us. 担当起照料它们的责任有助于我们在孩子身上甚至在我们自己身上培养人情味。

A dog or a cat can teach us a lot about human nature; they are a lot more like us than some might think. 一只狗或一只猫能教给我们许多关于人类的本性的东西。它们比某些人想象的更像人类。

More than one owner of a dog has said that the animal understands everything he says to it. 不止一个养狗的人曾经说过狗理解他对它说的一切话。

So a mother and father who have ever cared for pets are likely to be more patient and understanding with their children as well, and especially to avoid making negative or rude remarks in the presence of a child, no matter how young.所以曾经照顾过宠物的父母可能也会对他们的孩子更有耐心和理解，特别是能避免在孩子面前做否定和不礼貌的评论，不管他年龄多小。

It is touching to see how a cat or dog - especially a dog - attaches itself to a family and wants to share in all its goings and comings. 看到猫和狗――特别是狗――对一个家庭是如何地依恋，如何地想要分享家里发生的一切事情，是十分感人的。

If certain animal psychologists are right, a dog adopts his family in a most literal way - taking it for granted that the family is the band of dogs he belongs to. 如果某些动物心理学家是对的，狗以最忠实的方式接受它的家庭――理所当然地认为家即是它所属的那一群狗。

It is sometimes said that the cat "takes all and gives nothing." But is that really true? A cat can teach us a valuable lesson about how to be contented, how to be serene and at ease, how to sit and contemplate.有时人们说猫"索取一切，什么都不给予"。但那是真的吗？关于如何满足，如何安详自在，如何静坐深思，猫可以给我们上有价值的一课。

Whereas a dog's constant pleas for attention become, sometimes, a bit too much. 而狗不断寻求人们和注意，有时太过分了。

Nevertheless it is the dog who can teach us lessons of loyalty and devotion that no cat ever knew. 尽管如此，狗能教给我们忠诚和献身，这是猫从不知道的。